dittany

American  

[dit-n-ee] / ˈdɪt n i /

noun

dittanies plural

1. a Cretan plant, Origanum dictamnus, of the mint family, having spikes of purple flowers and formerly believed to have medicinal qualities.

2. Also called stone mint.  a North American plant, Cunila origanoides, of the mint family, bearing clusters of purplish flowers.

3. gas plant.

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dittany British  

/ ˈdɪtənɪ /

noun

1. an aromatic Cretan plant, Origanum dictamnus , with pink drooping flowers: formerly credited with great medicinal properties: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

2. Also called: stone mint.  a North American labiate plant, Cunila origanoides, with clusters of purplish flowers

3. another name for gas plant

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dittanies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dittany

1350–1400; Middle English ditane, detany < Old French dita ( i ) n < Latin dictamnus, dictamnum < Greek díktamnon, perhaps akin to Díktē, a mountain in Crete where the herb abounded

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dittany

“You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that...Come...”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

They were wincing as they dabbed essence of dittany onto their many injuries.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

She was supposed to drink dittany tea sweetened with molasses, but it tasted too horrible.

From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Some country nurses recommend dittany tea, or spice-wood berries boiled in new milk.

From Domestic Cookery, Useful Receipts, and Hints to Young Housekeepers by Lea, Elizabeth E. (Elizabeth Ellicott)

The sacred plants of the goddess were, the willow, pomegranate, the dittany and the lily.

From The Student's Mythology A Compendium of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Hindoo, Chinese, Thibetian, Scandinavian, Celtic, Aztec, and Peruvian Mythologies by White, Catherine Ann